Plants

Bringing Plants into Singapore & Exporting

Bringing Plants into Singapore

General Information for Travellers

Part of AVA's mission is to safeguard the health of plants in Singapore. Hence we need to minimise any negative impact that exotic pests and plant diseases can have on our plants and the environment. When you travel overseas, you may want to bring back plants, plant cuttings and seeds. Before travelling to Singapore, check the latest import conditions for plants that you may bring in.

Guidelines on Bringing Plants into Singapore

Travellers returning to Singapore bringing in plants require these items:

CITES permit

You will need this permit when you bring in plants that are protected under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora) from overseas. You can apply for this permit from the competent authority of your country of export. See the list of National Contacts and Information on the opens in a new windowCITES website.

Phytosanitary Certificate

You will need this certificate when you import planting materials from overseas. It certifies the plants or plant products are pest free. It is normally issued by the Agriculture Department from the country of origin of the plant.

Exemptions for Phytosanitary Certificate

With effect from 1 December 2007, this certificate is waived if you are bringing in small quantities of planting materials from West Malaysia.

Type

Quantities

Plants

3 plants without potting media per person

Seeds

250 grams per person

You will need a certificate for any quantity in excess of the above.

Non-adherence to procedures

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) or Customs officer will detain your planting materials if you bring in planting materials:

without a Phytosanitary Certificate or CITES permit

in excess of the exempted quantities

without the necessary documents from West Malaysia

If your planting materials are detained, ICA will issue you a receipt. You may claim the plants from AVA if they are not endangered species and are free from pests and diseases. AVA may carry out disinfestation treatments on the imported plants before they are released to you.

Phytosanitary Certificate with additional certification on freedom of the regulated pests (Microcyclus ulei)

Cut Flowers & Foliages from CITES-Listed Plants

Type

Requirements

For Cut Flowers & Foliages that are CITES-listed wild species (except Appendix I)

CITES export/re-export permit from the exporting country

CITES import permit

Phytosanitary Certificate from the country of export (for live plants, seeds, cuttings and bulbs only)

Meet AVA's phytosanitary requirements which may include inspection, quarantine and sampling

For Cut Flowers & Foliages that are CITES-listed artificially propagated species

CITES export/re-export permit from the exporting country, on a Certificate of Artificial Propagation to certify that the plants are artificially reproduced

CITES import permit (for CITES Appendix I species only)

Phytosanitary Certificate from the country of export (for live plants, seeds, cuttings and bulbs only)

Meet AVA's phytosanitary requirements which may include inspection, quarantine and sampling

Appendix I

These species are highly endangered and could be extinct if their trade is not severely restricted. Trade for primarily commercial purposes is generally prohibited. However, Appendix I species which are captive-bred in CITES-registered captive breeding farms are allowed to be commercially traded with proper CITES permits. For Appendix I species, CITES permits are issued only under special circumstances (eg. Zoological Gardens, Bird Park, research institutions, museums etc).

Phytosanitary Certificate with additional certification on freedom of the regulated pests (Microcyclus ulei)

Endorse these pre-departure treatment into the Phytosanitary Certificate:

Treatment Seed Treatment

Chemical: 0.1% a.i. or 0.1% a.i. chlorothalonil (other equivalence may also be acceptable)

Requirements for Plant Exhibitions

If you intend to bring plants and plant materials into Singapore for the purpose of Plant Exhibition, you must ensure that the following import requirements are met.

1. Ensure plant materials are free of pests and diseases

Ensure that the plant materials you intend to bring in are free of pests and diseases. This is to facilitate a smooth post entry inspection and clearance of all plant consignments.

2. Comply with Phytosanitary requirements

Different Phytosanitary requirements apply to:

Plants

All imported plants must come with a Phytosanitary Certificate from the country of origin. The growing medium has to be certified free from plant parasitic nematodes through laboratory analysis or appropriate treatment with nematicides.

Plants are subject to post entry inspection within 1 to 2 days upon arrival. You must also pay an import permit fee of S$11 per consignment.

If your plants do not meet the Phytosanitary requirements, you will be subject to an inspection charge of:

S$12 for 10 plants or less, and

S$50 for 10 plants or more, with a composition sum of up to S$250.

Cut Flowers

Flowers from the American Tropics require Phytosanitary Certificates that are endorsed with the following additional declarations:

The flowers are free from Microcyclus ulei (South American Leaf Blight), or

The flowers are sourced from regions that are free from Microcyclus ulei (South American Leaf Blight).

Cut flowers from other sources do not require a Phytosanitary Certificate.

3. Obtain CITES permits

This step only applies to the import of CITES listed plants.

The import requirements for CITES plants are as follows:

Obtain:

CITES import permit from AVA, and

CITES export/re-export permit from country of origin

You can apply for the CITES import permit online via the LicenceOne (AVA e-Licensing) website. Log in with your Singpass ID and submit your application along with a softcopy of your CITES export/re-export permit

CITES listed plants

Requirements

Appendix I (Wild) species

Import is not allowed

Appendix I (Artificially Propaged) plants

Obtain:

CITES import permit from AVA, and

CITES export/re-export permit from country of origin

You can apply for the CITES import permit online via AVA’s e-Service. Log in with your Singpass ID and submit your application along with a softcopy of your CITES export/re-export permit.

Appendix II (Wild) species

Appendix II (Artificially Propagated) plants

Obtain from the country of origin:

CITES export or re-export permit, or

Written permission, or

Certificate of Artificial Propagation

Do note that plants that are brought in without relevant CITES certificates may not be returned to the home country or re-exported to another country. These plants will be surrendered to AVA after the Exhibition.
For more details on the CITES Import Regulatory Requirements for Orchids, please refer to Annex 1 of the Requirements for the Import of Plants for the Singapore Garden Festival 2014.

4. Register CITES listed plants with AVA

Ensure that your CITES listed plants are registered with AVA at least 1 week before the Exhibition with the following details:

Name of participant

Country

Name of plants

Number of plants

You can register through The Exhibition Secretariat, who will submit the list to AVA on your behalf.

Do note that if your CITES listed plants are not registered with The Exhibition Secretariat or AVA, your plants will be regarded as having been imported in non-compliance to Singapore’s CITES requirements. You may be subject to a composition sum of up to S$2500 and you plants may be forfeited.

5. Additional requirements for plants from West Malaysia

Import of plants from West Malaysia

If you are importing plants from West Malaysia, you can obtain the Phytosanitary Certificates, CITES permits or Certificate of Artificial Propagation from the relevant Malaysian authorities at their offices in Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Penang and Johor Bahru.

You are required to obtain an export licence from West Malaysia before you export those plants out. The Malaysian authorities will tag the plants for the Exhibition.

The address for the Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur offices are as follows:

Follow the steps below to return plants to West Malaysia after the Exhibition.

Step

Description

STEP 1:

Obtain an import permit from the Malaysian authorities.

You can apply for the import permit electronically via the website of the Malaysian authority. Please note that you must provide a Malaysian address in your application.

You are required to first register with the service provider, and pay a registration fee of RM 200 and a stamp duty of RM 10. In addition, you are required to make a deposit of RM 150 with Department of Agriculture (DOA), Malaysia.

For ease of application, you should apply for import permits through associations in Malaysia that would be participating in the Exhibition.

STEP 2:

Obtain from AVA:

a CITES re-export permit, or

a Certificate of Artificial Propagation (in the form of a Phytosanitary Certificate with the clause that the plants are artificially propagated). AVA will be able to issue the certificate if your plants are covered by relevant CITES certification.

You can apply for a CITES re-export permit online via the LicenceOne (AVA e-Licensing) website. Please note that you will need to log in with your Singpass ID and locate "CITES Permit".

Likewise, you can apply for a Phytosanitary Certificate online via the LicenceOne (AVA e-Licensing) website. Please note that you will need to log in to the LicenceOne (AVA e-Licensing) website and locate the "Phytosanitary Certification".

STEP 3:

Meet the Malaysian import requirements:

For Appendix I Artificially Propagated Plants, provide the following:

Import permit from DOA

CITES re-export permit (in the form of a Phytosanitary Certificate from AVA)

Bringing Plants into Singapore & Exporting

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